Determining if a child has autism before the age of 18 months can be challenging. While all children develop at different rates, there are average timeframes considered typical for various milestones. For example, most children start to walk between 12 and 14 months, but some may not walk until 18 months and still go on to develop typically.
This checklist is a guide to be used alongside other observations. If you are concerned about your child’s language development, it is advisable to consult a speech pathologist or paediatrician for guidance.
Up to 1 Year of Age:
- Response to Name: The child does not respond when called by name, often requiring repeated calls or physical touch to gain attention.
- Social Smiling: Rarely smiles in response to others.
- Object Tracking: Does not track moving objects with their eyes.
- Eye Contact: Makes little to no eye contact.
- Independent Play: Prefers to play alone and shows little interest in social or interactive games.
- Repetitive Movements: Engages in unusual and repetitive body movements (e.g., hand or arm flapping).
- Toe Walking: Frequently walks on their toes.
Up to 2 Years of Age:
- Speech Development: Shows limited speech.
- Gestures: Relies on gestures to communicate (e.g., pointing) or tends to help themselves without indicating needs.
- Frustration Behavior: Displays temper tantrums, biting, or scratching out of frustration.
- Toy Organization: Lines up toys by color or size.
- Sharing Difficulties: Unwilling to share toys and becomes obsessive about their play. They dislike interruptions or changes to their set order of toys.
Up to 3 Years of Age:
- Verbal Output: Exhibits limited verbal communication.
- Social Interaction: Shows little interest in interacting with other children and prefers solitary play.
- Sensitivities: Can be very sensitive to noise, light, texture, and taste.
- Food Preferences: Does not like food on their plate to touch each other and may have aversions to certain colours of food.
- Toy Fixations: May fixate on specific toys (e.g., “Bob the Builder,” “Thomas the Tank Engine”).
- Unusual Collections: Collects unusual objects (e.g., sticks, rocks).
- Routines: Needs to follow routines consistently; any changes can lead to meltdowns.
Remember, this list includes behaviors that children with autism may exhibit, but it is not definitive. Typically developing children may also show some of these traits.
Parents are encouraged to observe their child’s development closely. If you believe your child is significantly delayed, particularly in speech, consulting a speech pathologist is strongly recommended.